Gas scrubber provided with rotary spraying device and indicator



March 9, 1954 SCHELLENBURG 2,671,651 GAS SCRUBBER PROVIDED WITH ROTARYSPRAYING DEVICE AND INDICATOR Original Filed Sept. 28, 1949 l l I .Jmzn/or;

Patented 9, 1954 2,671,651

GAS scanner-1a PROVIDED wrrn'noranr srmmo nsvror: AND mores-roe ErnstSchellcnburg, Essen, Germany, assignor, by mesne assignments, to KoppersCompany, Inc., Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Originalapplication September-'28, 1949, Serial No. 118,216, now Patent No.2,621,032, dated December-A3, 1952. Divided and this application October11, 1952, Serial No. 317,232

1 Claim. (Cl. 26198) 1 This invention relates to improvements in gasscrubbers provided with rotary spraying devices and indicator. and is adivision of the invention of my application Serial No. 118,216, filedSep 1 wardly protruding end i or the like.

thereof an indicator arm In this'manner the rotary movement of thespraying device can be indicated conveniently and controlled fromoutside and the tember 28, 1949, now Patent No. 2,621,032, of De- 5 samecarrying shaft and bearing function in comm r 9, 1952. mon for both theindicating means and the rotary In coking technology and also in thechemispraying device. cal industry-and for other purposes devices are Adisadvantage arises in this case however, frequently used in which gasesare brought into since a special stuffing box has to be provided contactwith liquids, for example in order to refor the indicator shaft, thisbeing arranged on move or to wash out certain substances from the theextension of the indicator shaft above the gases. Such so-called gasscrubbersconsist essenbearing for the indicator device and the rotarytially of a tower-like round or polygonal housspraying device where theindicator shaft proing in which are arranged filling bodies such as,jects outwardly of the scrubber for visual obforexample, hurdles. Thegas to be treated is servation from the exterior of the scrubber.introduced into the gas scrubber at the base and Stuffing boxes areinevitably subject to a certain then flows upwardly through the columnof filling degree of wear and require regular attention in bodies to thegas outlet provided at the upper order to remain completely tight. Asgas scrubend. The liquid which is to be brought into conbers are in somecircumstances of considerable tact with the gases is discharged, at thetop of height and the point of installation of the rotary the gasscrubber, on to the filling bodies'and then spraying device and itsindicator is usually not flows in a state of fine division downwardlyover easily accessible, leaks in the stufilng boxes of the fillingbodies so that the gas comes into conthe indicator shafts cannot inpractice be effecttact with a large surface of liquid. tively avoided.

The washing liquid is discharged on to the As soon as a leak occurs inthe stufiing box lumn f filli d s it r y a fix d sprayof the indicatorshaft however, air escapes from ing apparatus or by means of a rotaryspraying the interior of the housing in which are arranged device whichis rotatably operable by the prothe bearing means (ball bearings). As aresult pulsion of the entering washing liquid and so of this, washingliquid can now penetrate into operates onthe principle of a water wheelso the bearing housing and come into direct conthat the washing liquidis distributed uniformly tact with the delicate bearing means. Thereover the cross section of the column of filling sultisthat thebearingmeans of the rotary spray-- bodies. a ing device are, subjected toconsiderable wear The invention relates togas scrubbers which causing avariation in the rates of rotation of are provided with rotary sprayingdevices of the the spraying device, and hence variation in how waterwheel kind. through the scrubber from time to time, and

The object of the invention is to provide such progressively, with theresultthat the gas treatimprovements in gas scrubbers of this kind asment is not uniform during prolonged operating to ensure a uniformdistribution of the liquid periods. In fact, veryjrequent repairs to theeven during a prolonged operating period whilst 40 hearing means ofrotary spraying devices have a o e bl the p y g devices to be used beengenerally necessary hitherto to maintain 1' corrosive llqilidsuniformityin distribution. of liquid and gas In the hitherto known rotary sprayingdethrough th bb r, vices for as scrubbers the rotary part is ar- Theinvention, which avoids the aforesaid disr n ed on a vertical shaftwhich is generally advantages, provides in principle for arrangcarriedabove the COVE! Of the scrubber ina ball ing the stumng box for v theindicator shaft hearing or the like. The liquid supply to the insuchrelation to the bearing means for'the spraying device is thuseffected uniformly beindicator shaft and for the rotary spraying delowthe bearing in order to secure the bearing vice, by means of which theindicator shaft and means from contact with the washing liquid and therotary spraying device connected therewith thereby from eventual damage.are mounted on the cover of the gas scrubber,

In practice it is now common for the carrying that between the stuflingbox and the bearing shaft of the spraying device to be provided withmeans for the indicator shaft a free space is left, an upwardlyprojecting extension forming an infrom which the washing liquid, whichmay escape dicator carrying shaft which carries on an outwhen a leakoccurs in the stufling box, can flow 3 away without previously cominginto contact with the bearing means for the indicator shaft and for therotary spraying device.

The drawing illustrates one form of construction of the invention of arotary spraying device and scrubber embodying the invention.

The gas scrubber shown is of the type having a substantially cylindricalhousing (not shown) closed on top by the cover 2. Within the housinghurdles or battens of wood not shown are arranged as filling bodies. Thegas to be brought into contact with the washing liquid in the gasscrubber enters at the bas through a pipe and passes out at the top,from the interior of the gas scrubber. The washing liquid is supplied atthe head of the gas scrubber through the pipe 3 in the manner to bedescribed in greater detail hereafter and then passes on to the hurdlesor filling bodies on which the liquid flows downwards in a state of finedivision. The liquid which accumulates at the base of the gas scrubberis withdrawn at its lower part through a pipe.

In order to distribute the washing liquid uniformly over the crosssection of the hurdles, which to some extent make a closely connectedcolumn, a rotary spraying device of the water wheel type is provided.The spraying device consists of a rotary hollow shaft 33 on which isprovided a series of, for example, four hollow arms 33 which ifnecessary may be of different lengths. Each of the hollow arms 33 has adistributing head III which discharges the liquid at a definite angle tothe vertical as indicated at l2. Through the reaction resulting from thedischarge of the washing liquid from the oblique nozzles at an angle tothe vertical the arms 33, and with them the hollow shaft 33, are set inrotation. In this way the washing liquid is distributed uniformly overthe entire cross section of the hurdles or filling body column 3.

The hollow shaft 33 is connected with an extension shaft 32 which at itslower end is carried in bearing arms 33 and at its upper end in ballbearings 31, 33.

A can be seen from the drawing the ball bearing of the shaft 32 isarranged, externally of the housing 39, which is connected with theliquid supplying pipe 3, in a cup-shaped bearing housing 39; The upperbearing of the shaft 32 consists of an axial ball bearing 31 and radialbearing 33. The bearing housing 39 is closed at the top by means of acover 33 and is supported by legs. to leave free spaces 33.

By means of this arrangement of the ball bearing in the housing 39 thewashing liquid from within the housing 33 cannot, in practice, penetratewithin the chamber 39. In this way damage to the delicate ball bearingsby the washing liquid is avoided.

In order to be able to provide the ball bearings in operation with alubricant such as grease, which fills the chamber 39, an openingclosable by means of the pl s 3| is provided.

The shaft 32 extends out through the housing 39 from the inside throughthe sufilng box 33 to outside the housing covered by the top 2 and isrotatably mounted at outside the housing in a bearing 31, 33, which isheld by the bearing housing 39.

At the top end, the shaft 32 is connected with a shaft 33 which carriestwo indicator arms 3| whos movement, as can be seen from the drawing,can be observed from outside.

The arrangement illustrated is, as will now be readily understood, suchthat on the occurrence of a leak in the stumng box 33, which closes theoutwardly extending part of the indicatorshaft 32, although washingliquid can leave the housing 33 the washing liquid so forced out canneither reach the delicate bearing 31, 33 of the main shaft and of theindicator shaft 33, but flows away laterally through the free spaces 33in the bearing supporting legs 32. The ball bearings of both the mainshaft 32 and also the shaft 33 are thus securely protected againstattack by the washing liquid.

The sealing between the hollow shaft 33 of the rotary spraying devicesand the scrubber cover 2 is effected by means of an elastic member 23'which permits a certain transverse movement of the hollow shaft 33relative to the scrubber cover 2 on rotation of the spraying device 33'.

The shaft 33 which carries the indicator arm 3| is connected fast withthe upper end of the bearing shaft 32 for the rotary spraying device.

From the foregoing it will be noted that the shaft 32, from the lowerend of which the hollow shaft 33 together with the hollow arms 33 is.

. suspended is led out of the housing 35 through the stuffing box 33.The bearing of the shaft 32 consists of the axial ball bearing 31 andthe radial ball bearing 33. The ball bearings are provided in apreferably gas-tight housing 39. In the cover 33 of the housing 39 thereis provided an opening, closable by means of the screw 3|, for theintroduction of a lubricant such as grease.

The housing 39 is secured on the housing 39 by means of the supports 32so that a fre space, as indicated at 33, exists between the housing 39and the housing 35. The stuffing box 33 lies within the free space 33.The stumng box 33 is thus on the one hand easily accessible from outsideso that it can be adjusted and on the other hand, washing liquid whichmay escape on the occurrence of a leak in the stufling box 33,

cannot reach the bearings of the shaft 32 but flows away laterally. Thusalso the bearing of the shaft 32 is securely protected against attack bythe washing liquid.

In the form of construction the shaft 32 is supported at its lower endin a fixed bearing 33. In order to achieve an equalisation ofinaccuracies in the arrangement of the bearing 33, the stufllng box 33and the bearings 31, 33, it may in some cases be advantageou to arrangeth ball bearings 31, 38 or the bearing 33 so that they can be radiallydisplaced to a limited extent.

While in accordance with the provisions of the statutes, I haveillustrated and described the best form of embodiment of my inventionnow known to me, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art thatchanges may be made in the form of the apparatus disclosed withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention as set forth in the appendedclaim and that in some cases certain features of my invention may beused to advantage without a corresponding use of other features.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

. A gas scrubber having a washing liquid inlet at the top and a rotaryspraying device operable in the manner of a water wheel arranged insideof the top of the scrubber for rotatable propulsion by entering washingliquid from its inlet and for introducing and distributing washingliquid from said inlet downwardly from the top of the scrubber; an axlesecured to said rotary spraying device for rotation therewith, said axleextending upwardly through the washing liquid inlet and out of thescrubber housing to a region above the top or the same, and beingrotatably suspended from a ball bearing therefor arranged above thescrubber housing in a bearing housing therefor;

an upwardly projecting extension on the axle of 5 the spraying device,said extension protruding externally through the bearing housing abovethe bearing therein for the axle of the spraying device, and having anindicating devic mounted thereon externally of said housing and scrubber10 for rotation therewith in synchronism with the rotation of thespraying device within the scrubber housing; a packing box arranged onthe axle below the bearing means and arranged to close the joint betweenthe scrubber housing and the axle, and a passage on the outside of thescrubber housing between the packing for said axle and the bearingtherefor, from which fluid from within the scrubber and its liquidinlet, on escaping on leakage through the packing, can flow away withoutcoming into contact with the ball bearing for the axle of the sprayingdevice and for the axle of the indicating device;

ERNST SCHELLENBURG.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 774,207 Steinbart Nov. 8, 1904 941,841 Aklen et a1 Nov. 30,1909 1,345,089 Jaentin June 29, 1920 5 2,234,921 Webb Mar. 11, 1941FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 255,534 Germany June 11, 1911

